SECTION IV - THE CAUSE OF IDOLATRY,
AND THE REMEDY OF IT
INASMUCH as God is not corporeal, and consequently does not and cannot come
within the notice of our bodily sensations, we are therefore obliged to
deduce inferences from his providence, and particularly from our own
rational nature, in order to form our conceptions of the divine
character, which through inattention, want of learning, or through the
natural imbecility of mankind, or through the artifice of designing men,
or all together, they have been greatly divided and subdivided in their
notions of a God. Many have so groped in the dark as wholly to mistake the
proper object of divine worship, and not distinguishing the creator from
his creation, have paid adoration to "four footed beasts and creeping
things." And some have ascribed divine honors to the sun, moon, or stars,
while others have been infatuated to worship dumb, senseless, and unintelligent
idols, which derived their existence as Gods, partly from mechanics, who
gave them their figure, proportion, and beauty, and partly from their
priests, who gave them their attributes; whose believers, it appears, were
so wrought upon, that they cried out in the ecstasy of their deluded zeal,
"Great is Diana." Whatever delusions have taken place in the world
relative to the object of divine worship, or respecting the indecencies or
immoralities of the respective superstitions themselves, or by what means
soever introduced or perpetuated, whether by designing men whose interest it
has always been to impose on the weakness of the great mass of the vulgar;
or as it is probable, that part of those delusions took place in
consequence of the weakness of uncultivated reason, in deducing a visible
instead of an invisible God from the works of nature. Be that as it will,
mankind are generally possessed of an idea that there is a God, however
they may have been mistaken or misled as to the object. This notion of a
God, as has been before observed, must have originated from a universal
sense of dependence, which mankind have on something that is more wise,
powerful, and beneficent than themselves, or they could have had no
apprehensions of any superintending principle in the universe, and
consequently would never have sought after a God, or have had
any conception of his existence, nor could designing men have imposed on
their credulity by obtruding false Gods upon them; but taking advantage of
the common belief that there is a God, they artfully deceive their
adherents with regard to the object to be adored. There are other sorts of
idols which have no existence but in the mere imagination of the human
mind; and these are vastly the most numerous, and universally (either in
the greater or less degree) dispersed over the world; the wisest of
mankind are not and cannot be wholly exempt from them, inasmuch as every wrong
conception of God is (as far as the error takes place in the mind)
idolatrous. To give a sample, an idea of a jealous God is of this sort.
Jealousy is the offspring of finite minds, proceeding from the want
of knowledge, which in dubious matters makes us suspicious and
distrustful; but in matters which we clearly understand, there can be no
jealousy, for knowledge excludes it, so that to ascribe it to God is a
manifest infringement on his omniscience. [NOTE: The Lord thy God is a jealous
God."]
The idea of a revengeful God is likewise one of that sort, but this idea of
divinity being borrowed from a savage nature, needs no further
confutation. The representation of a God, who (as we are told by certain
divines) from all eternity elected an inconsiderable part of mankind to eternal
life, and reprobated the rest to eternal damnation, merely from his own
sovereignty, adds another to the number; -- this representation of the
Deity undoubtedly took its rise from that which we discovered in great,
powerful, and wicked tyrants among men, however tradition may since have
contributed to its support, though I am apprehensive that a belief in
those who adhere to that doctrine, that they themselves constitute that
blessed elect number, has been a greater inducement to them to close
with it, than all other motives added together. It is a selfish and
inferior notion of a God void of justice, goodness, and truth, and has a
natural tendency to impede the cause of true religion and morality in the
world, and diametrically repugnant to the truth of the divine character, and
which, if admitted to be true, overturns all religion, wholly precluding
the agency of mankind in either their salvation or damnation, resolving
the whole into the sovereign disposal of a tyrannical and unjust being,
which is offensive to reason and common sense, and subversive of moral
rectitude in general. But as it was not my design so much to confute the
multiplicity of false representations of a God, as to represent just and
consistent ideas of the true God, I shall therefore omit any further
observation on them in this place, with this remark, that all unjust
representations, or ideas of God, are so many detractions from his
character among mankind. To remedy these idolatrous notions of a God, it is
requisite to form right and consistent ideas in their stead.
The discovery of truth necessarily excludes error from the mind, which nothing
else can possibly do; for some sort of God or other will crowd itself into
the conceptions of dependent creatures, and if they are not so happy as to
form just ones, they will substitute erroneous and delusive ones in their
stead; so that it serves no valuable purpose to mankind, to confute their
idolatrous opinions concerning God, without communicating to them just
notions concerning the true one, for if this is not effected, nothing is
done to the purpose. For, as has been before observed, mankind will
form to themselves, or receive from others, an idea of Divinity either
right or wrong: this is the universal voice of intelligent nature, from
whence a weighty and conclusive argument may be drawn of the reality of a
God, however inconsistent most of their conceptions of him may be. The fact is
mankind readily perceives that there is a God, by feeling their dependence
on him, and as they explore his works, and observe his providence, which
is too sublime for finite capacities to understand but in part, they have
been more or less confounded in their discoveries of a just idea of a God and
of his moral government. Therefore we should exercise great applications
and care whenever we assay to speculate upon Divine character, accompanied
with a sincere desire after truth, and not ascribe anything to his
perfections or government which is inconsistent with reason or the best
information which we are able to apprehend of moral rectitude, and be at
least wise enough not to charge God with injustice and contradictions
which we should scorn to be charged with ourselves. No king, governor, or
parent would like to be accused of partiality in their respective governments,
"Is it fit to say unto Princes, ye are ungodly, how much less to him that
regardeth not the persons of princes, or the rich more than the poor, for
they are all the work of his hands." Ethen Allen (~1800) Reason
the Oracle of Man.
INFINITUDE OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE
WHEN we consider our solar system, attracted by its fiery center, and moving
in its several orbits, with regular, majestic, and periodical revolutions,
we are charmed at the prospect and contemplation of those worlds of
motions, and adore the wisdom and power by which they are attracted, and
their velocity regulated and perpetuated. And when we reflect that the
blessings of life are derived from, and dependent on, the properties,
qualities, constructions, proportions and movements, of that stupendous
machine, we gratefully acknowledge the divine beneficence. When we extend
our thoughts (through our external sensations) to the vast regions of the
starry heavens, we are lost in the immensity of God's works. Some stars
appear fair and luminous, and others scarcely discernible to the eye,
which by the help of glasses make a brilliant appearance, bringing the
knowledge of others far remote, within the verge of our feeble
discoveries, which merely by the eye could not have been discerned or
distinguished. These discoveries of the works of God naturally prompt
the inquisitive mind to conclude that the author of this astonishing part
of creation which is displayed to our view, has still extended his
creation; so that if it were possible that any of us could be transported
to the farthest extended star, which is perceptible to us here, we should from
thence survey worlds as distant from that as that is from this, and so on
'ad infinitum.'
Furthermore, it is altogether reasonable to conclude that the heavenly bodies,
alias worlds, which move or are situate within the circle of our
knowledge, as well all others throughout immensity, are each and every one
of them possessed or inhabited by some intelligent agents or other.
however different their sensations or manners of receiving or
communicating their ideas may be from ours, or however different from each
other. For why would it not have been as wise or as consistent with
the perfections which we adore in God, to have neglected giving being to
intelligence in this world as in those other worlds, interspersed with
another of various qualities in his immense creation? And inasmuch as this
world is thus replenished, we may, with the highest rational certainty infer,
that as God has given us to rejoice, and adore him for our being, he has
acted consistent with his goodness, in the display of his providence
throughout the university of worlds.
To suppose that God Almighty has confined his goodness to this world, to the
exclusion of all others, is much similar to the idle fancies of some
individuals in this world, that they, and those of their communion or
faith, are the favorites of heaven exclusively; but these are narrow and
bigoted conceptions, which are degrading to a rational nature, and utterly
unworthy of God, of whom we should form the most exalted ideas.
It may be objected that a man cannot subsist in the sun; but does it follow
from thence, that God cannot or has not constituted a nature peculiar to
that fiery region, and caused it to be as natural and necessary for it to
suck in and breathe out flames of fire, as it is for us to do the like in
air. Numerous are the kinds of fishy animals which can no other way
subsist but in the water, in which other animals would perish, (amphibious
ones excepted,) while other animals, in a variety of forms, either swifter
or slower move on the surface of the earth, or wing the, air. Of these there
are sundry kinds, which during the season of winter live without food; and
many of the insects which are really possessed of animal life, remain
frozen, and as soon as they are let loose by the kind influence of
the sun, they again assume their wonted animal life; and if animal life
may differ so much in the same world, what inconceivable variety may be
possible in worlds innumerable, as applicable to mental, cogitative, and
organized beings. Certain it is, that any supposed obstructions, concerning
the quality or temperature of any or every one of those worlds, could not
have been any bar in the way of God Almighty, with regard to his
replenishing his universal creation with moral agents. The unlimited
perfection of God could perfectly well adapt every part of his creation to the
design of whatever rank or species of constituted beings, his Godlike
wisdom and goodness saw fit to impart existence to; so that as there is no
deficiency of absolute perfection in God, it is rationally demonstrative
that the immense creation is replenished with rational agents, and that it has
been eternally so, and that the display of divine goodness must have been
as perfect and complete, in the antecedent, as it is possible to be in the
subsequent eternity.
From this theological way of arguing on the creation and providence of God, it
appears that the whole, which we denominate by the term nature, which is
the same as creation perfectly regulated, was eternally connected together
by the creator to answer the same all glorious purpose, to wit:
the display of the divine nature, the consequences of which are existence
and happiness to beings in general, so that creation, with all its
productions operates according to the laws of nature, and is sustained by
the self-existent eternal cause, in perfect order and decorum, agreeable to the
eternal wisdom, unalterable rectitude, impartial justice, and immense
goodness of the divine nature, which is a summary of God's providence. It
is from the established order of nature. that summer and winter, rainy and
fair seasons, moonshine, refreshing breezes, seed time and harvest, day and
night, interchangeably succeed each other, and diffuse their extensive
blessings to man. Every enjoyment and support of life is from God,
delivered to his creatures in and by the tendency, aptitude, disposition,
and operation of those laws. Nature is the medium, or intermediate instrument
through which God dispenses his benignity to mankind. The air we breathe
in, the light of the sun, and the waters of the murmuring rills, evince
his providence: and well it is, that they are given in so great profusion,
that they cannot by the monopoly of the rich be engrossed from the
poor.
When we copiously pursue the study of nature, we are certain to be lost in the
immensity of the works and wisdom of God we may nevertheless, in a variety
of things discern their fitness, happy tendency and sustaining quality to
us ward, from all which, as rational and contemplative beings we are
prompted to infer, that God is universally uniform and consistent in his
infinitude of creation and providence, although we cannot comprehend all
that consistency, by reason of infirmity; yet we are morally sure, of all
possible plans, infinite wisdom must have eternally adopted the best, and
infinite goodness have approved it, and infinite power have perfected it.
And as the good of beings in general must have been the ultimate end of
God in his creation and government of his creatures, his omniscience could
not fail to have it always present in his view. Universal nature must therefore
be ultimately attracted to this single point, and infinite perfection must
have eternally displayed itself in creation and providence. From hence we
infer, that God is as eternal and infinite in his goodness, as his
self-existent and perfect nature is omnipotently great. Ethen
Allen (~1800) Reason the Oracle of Man.
Reason: The Only Oracle of Man, Ethen Allen,
~1800.
Mr. Allen is at pains to demonstrate that religions are fraught
with irrationality which cannot stand up to the scrutiny of reason.
I find some flaws in Mr. Allen's reasoning. He appears to
assume that all knowledge of which man has need can be
transmitted with objectivity. That is to say that anything worth
knowing can be represented in human language. This assumption
contains the arrogant notion that human language, a creation of man,
is capable of representing the deity, even though, elsewhere, Mr.
Allen suggests that this is not to be expected. It is demonstrably
untrue. How does one transmit to another human that which he has
not experienced, or even come close too? How does one transmit the
significance of love to one who hasn't experienced it or something like
it? Jesus had need of demonstrating that He was capable of
providing new understanding to man. However it may have been
accomplished, the gospel writers transmitted this fact to us via what
I would term symbolic stories about the acts of Jesus, such as the
healing of the blind man in the temple. Or, if Jesus actually cured a
blind man, he did it as a symbolic representation of what he could do
for us.
The second problem I note with respect to Mr. Allen's
reasoning is a widespread literalism in his interpretation of the Bible.
He seems to think that the Garden of Eden story is to be taken
literally and uses it to debunk Moses. This is a very large error that
can be demonstrated by the simple expedient of learning to interpret
dreams which are immediately subject in a most convincing way to
symbolic interpretation, since it leads to a rational understanding of
the dream's import. Interestingly, Mr. Allen shares this flawed
approach to understanding religion with the fundamentalists, who
also attempt to reach understanding through literalism, but for the
exact opposite motives.
The third problem I have with Mr. Allen is his foreshortening
of history. This is a very common problem with humans. The utter
incapacity to understand what can be accomplished in a million
generations through minute alterations in individual incarnations.
Mr. Allen tells us that it is obvious on its face that Negroes and
Caucasians cannot have proceeded from the same parents. This
statement, in my view can only proceed from a failure to appreciate
the law of change as applied to human generations and made clear to
us by Mr. Charles Darwin.
Aside from these complaints, Mr. Allen breathes some fresh air
into the endless controversy over the nature of God.